Mata

M.I.A. Prepares For Her “MATA” Album With “Beep” Single: Listen

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M.I.A.’s excitement for her sixth studio album is incredibly evident, especially after she threatened to leak the project herself if it wasn’t on streamers before September ended.

Seeing as October has officially begun and MATA still hasn’t arrived, it’s clear that the English rapper didn’t get her wish, though she did announce that the record will land on October 14th while delivering her third single so far, “Beep.”

The upbeat, rhythmic track is all about using your voice to make sure that you’re heard while staying true to yourself. It follows the arrival of previous songs like “Popular” and “The One” earlier this year.

“Next gen transcend women and men / Bring a noise, make it count, yeah do it again / Never stop, never give up, don’t pretend / Tell a friend all the rules you’re gonna bend,” M.I.A. rhymes on one of her verses.

While we didn’t hear from any collaborators on the singles, the 47-year-old previously hinted that she worked with the likes of Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj on her upcoming LP.

Stream “Beep” on Spotify below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more hip-hop news updates.

Quotable Lyrics:

Went from tryna pay the rent
Used a pen on men and made a dent
Yeah time and again make it go top 10
I’m not a politician and not UN

[Via]

MIA Puts Herself First On Her New Single, ‘Beep’

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Ahead of her hotly-anticipated sixth studio album, Mata, MIA has shared another heater. On her latest single, “Beep,” the Sri Lankan artist continues the mood of self-love she set on her song, “Popular,” and puts herself first.

She opens the song, delivering her signature brand of rap-singing, as she says, “When I meet face to face / Yeah don’t be late / Talkin on the phone / Yeah I’m not gonna wait / When you gotta tell me you better locate.”

On the infectious chorus, MIA, raps “Yeah I’m tryna come through / beep beep / Yeah I’m bringing someone new / beep beep.”

As of now, MIA has not shared an official release date for the album, though she did threaten to leak it if it wasn’t out by the end of September.

In an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, she detailed some of the album’s themes, saying, “I think there’s a bit of a battle on the record. That there is a bit of a clash, but the clash is like your ego and spirituality. Those are the clashes. Because as a musician, you need some ego, otherwise you can’t do it. Also the genre of music that, genres I should say, is all very much like egocentric. It’s not like I’m an artist that came through gospel or something. For me, it was like to have that journey, and also, it was a significant time to discuss like Islamophobia…talking about wars in the Middle East, and things like that.”

Check out “Beep” above.

MIA Loves Herself On Her Empowering New Single ‘Popular’

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Earlier this year, MIA announced her sixth studio album Mata to follow up 2016’s AIM. She unveiled the first single “The One” and now she’s back with the new track “Popular,” an infectious, self-empowering anthem with a jangly rhythm. It builds up the hype for a catchy LP, though it still has no confirmed release date. Mata will mark the first MIA album released via her new partnership with Island Records, following a long-standing history with Interscope and XL Recordings.

MIA is known for her ability to provoke and stir up public conversation. In 2018, the performer got into trouble when the NFL sued MIA over the obscene gesture she flashed during her 2012 Super Bowl performance with Madonna. “If you’re talking about racism and sexism, that moment in my life showed the cracks in everyone I knew,” she said. “I was at Roc Nation at the time and Jay-Z was managing me. The lawsuit was so ridiculous, it proposed that they would keep one hundred percent of my earnings for the rest of my life if I ever earned more than $2 million dollars. Jay-Z was, like, ‘You should sign that sh*t’ and I was, like, ‘No.’”

Check out “Popular” above.

MIA Confirms The New Album, ‘Mata,’ And Shares Her First New Track In Years, ‘The One’

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As far as new music is concerned, things have been mighty silent in MIA’s camp for years. The last time the British shock rapper and noted activist released an album was in 2016, when AIM came out. But today, the next chapter of MIA has been announced, with the impending release of her sixth studio album, Mata, and the arrival of the first single, “The One.”

Mata will mark the first MIA album released via her new partnership with Island Records, following a long-standing history with Interscope and XL Recordings. “The One,” sees her asserting her deification over a beat produced by Rex Kudo & T-Minus. A performance video surfaced on Twitter of MIA performing the song in front of a giant cross and backed by a children’s choir, showing the depth of the song’s vocal arrangement. On the hook, she raps in coyly auto-tuned vocals, “When you’re tryna find the one, why do you need reminding? No matter how you look at it, it’s me you keep finding.”

Listen to “The One” above and check out MIA’s upcoming tour and festival dates below.

06/01 — Grona Lund @ Stockholm, Sweden
06/02 — Heartland Fest @ Funen, Denmark
06/10 — Primavera @ Barcelona, Spain
06/11 — VYV Festival @ Dijon, France
06/12 — Marsatac Festival @ Marseille, France
06/17 — InVersion Festival @ Lyon, France
06/18 — Freemusic Festival @ Montendre, France
07/08 — NOS Alive @ Oeiras, Portugal
07/09 — BBK Bilbao Live @ Biscay, Spain
09/25 — Portola Music Festival @ San Francisco, CA